Daniel

So you auditioned for Edna from the Hairspray musical because you could relate to her character, what are some examples of this?

“Mainly because of the weight issue. I use to hide myself in my room and stay at home because of my weight. I wasn’t confident leaving the house because I used to get bullied for it. Edna hasn’t left the house in ages for the same reason. Edna needed motivation from others which is exactly the same for me.”

In what way did other people motivate you to change?

“I went through the roughest time of my life last year, a friend of mine passed away. I could relate to so many things that were going in her life and felt a similar way but performing has become my outlet. It’s not just production though, its kapa haka, playing music and just being involved in school. I’ve become a much happier person, I don’t struggle to leave the house these days and people don’t even try to bully me anymore.”